Every year the Monterey Bay sees Monarch butterflies take flight this time of year. The numbers of butterflies counted has dropped sharply over the last several years. Several factors are believed to be responsible for the declines. The main issues are thought to be changes in weather associated with climate change and a loss of habitat, Some residents have been helping out by planting milk weed, which is one of the only things the insects consume while in the caterpillar sage. At the peak, Pacific Grove volunteers counted up to 45 thousand butterflies a day, in 2017 that dropped to 17 thousand, this year the highest count was under 7 hundred,
